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HOME :
Pre-Columbian Art :
Incan Art : Incan Wooden Ceremonial Beaker
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Incan Wooden Ceremonial Beaker - PF.1331
Origin: Southern Highlands of Peru
Circa: 1450
AD
to 1500
AD
Dimensions:
8" (20.3cm) high
Collection: Pre-Columbian
Medium: Wood
$8,600.00
Location: United States
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| Description |
When the European conquistadors arrived in
Peru, they were astonished by the wealth and
splendor of the Inca nation. In the clash of
cultures that followed, much Inca art was literally
trampled underfoot. It was the buried glories of
earlier Peruvian civilzations that survived
unmolested to modern times, while little Inca art
remains. Thus this beaker is doubly remarkable,
for it is a splendid example of Inca
craftemanship and it is also made from wood,
less durable than stone, clay or metal. With
incised surface decorations filled in with paint, it
depicts a number of male and female figures and
assorted flowers and animals, including parrots
and fish. Are these gods and goddesses of the
Inca pantheon? A Peruvian Adam and Eve in their
garden? Very possibly, this is a marriage goblet,
created to celebrate a wedding. As we hold it in
our hands today, the imagination takes flight
back to an exotic and mysterious world on the
brink of change.
- (PF.1331)
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